Re:Touhou Starting life in another fantasy world from zero
by touhou9648
Summary: Natsuki Subaru, you have come far. You have experienced life and death times and times again, yet you didn't give up despite all the odds against your success. But that's a story for another time - another tale, if you may. This story will be different. Your spiritual and physical body won't end up in Lugnica but a land of fantasy called Gensokyo. May you survive until the end.
1. Chapter 1

**Arc 1 Adjustment**

**Chapter 1 A New Beginning...or is it?**

Natsuki Subaru looked over anime magazines in the store he'd been frequenting lately. His eyes then caught on something interesting - an adult magazine with a red shrine maiden and a black magician on the cover.

What is that? He has never seen any anime with such characters before. From a game, perhaps.

In curiosity, Subaru raised it to parallel with his eyes. Flipping through page after page, all he could see was vulgar illustrations of characters showing off their body parts. While he'd read this kind of materials numerous times to the point of boredom, this would make do to satiate his inner desire.

Like usual, when he got what he wanted, he'd walk to the cashier and pay them with his scarce wallet. Once done, he automatically paced out of the building like a robot. That's the daily life of Natsuki Subaru - the most pathetic man in the known universe.

As though something or someone incentivized him, Subaru took out his phone and looked at the current time. "9 PM, huh?" he muttered.

He ought to be home by now at this time, or his parents would get worried.

But, as he was walking to the sidewalk, the air and space were simultaneously cracked; and the scenery changed, like browsing through the photos you'd taken in your cameras.

Subaru blinked once, twice, and thrice. The boy just couldn't comprehend the absurd reality presented before him. It's like a fantasy world from children book came to life, if he must describe this ridiculous situation in a simple term.

On the left to the right - all around him from all angels - people were walking as they would in their daily life, except they were anything but humans.

A man with horns sticking to his forehead. A middle age woman with a tail appearing out of her pink dress. A child is running around with her transparent friends. These beings of supernatural were going their way of doing business as usual. The one who might be the strange one here was Subaru himself.

However, instead of panicking due to the sheer madness of the situation he'd found himself in, Subaru threw his hands up, celebrating his predicament like a madman.

"Did I just get transported to another world!?"

And thus, the tale of Natsuki Subaru, a pathetic man who refused to improve himself, began yet again. Though I wonder, how many times has it been?

But regardless, I can assure you that the greedy man in the disguise of a boy will not be given a happy ending, no matter how many tries he's made. His attempts will fail; that, I can be sure of.

Even so, if you genuinely wish to defy your fate, to prove your worthiness, to cement the fact that you are unique, different from the rest of your worthless species, then you mustn't give up hope.

Until then, I'll be waiting, at the end of the abyss, at the vast world where only nothingness exists. Yes…until that time, for sure.

I'll definitely...be waiting...there~

After walking for minutes, Natsuki Subaru was at a loss. He didn't know the direction nor his entire goal. This, in turn, had led him to pop up in certain places and get chased out due to they being restricted for outsiders like him.

And being lost was not even the worst part. Subaru had no money in their currency. While, yes, he did possess some amount of money in yen, this world obviously used a different kind of system from the one he knew.

Subaru had considered selling his groceries stuff for a little income but decided against it. The plastic bag contained a couple of snacks, a coffee for late-night sleepers, and a dirty magazine from earlier. He didn't know how long he would last without food, so these should be categorized as emergency products.

After all, Natsuki Subaru didn't want to die a miserable death by starvation or dehydration. Both of them sounded pretty distasteful to him. He couldn't even imagine what that would feel like.

"Huh? Now where in the world am I?" asked the boy, seeing a wall blocking his way. He's now standing in the alleyway, probably somewhere at the edge of the village.

Sighing, Subaru turned to go back the way he came, lamenting at his own idiocy. But his foot stopped moving when his body crashed into something rough and big.

Confusingly narrowed his eyes, Subaru looked up and faced a muscular man with two horned sticking out of his forehead.

As Subaru began to question the reality itself, the man smirked back and glanced at the bag with interest.

"Hey bro, what's that you're holding?"

"Ha, ha," his sweat dropped, "just my food for the day. A man gonna eat, right?"

"Doesn't matter whether or not these shits were yours, man," he pulled out a rusty old knife that refused to reflect the sunlight; only darkness remained. "You're gonna give me all of them. Now. Or else...Well, I'll leave it to your imagination."

"Oi, oi, oi!" Subaru stepped back in surprise at the man's intense glare penetrating his soul. "Calm down! I'll give you anything!" Subaru put down the groceries, backing up from the man who smirked.

"Nice, kid. Let's see what you have shall w-"

"Surprise, motherfucker!"

When the man crouched to take a peek inside the groceries, Subaru grabbed the wooden stick laying against the wall and smashed the thief's head with most of his strength. It hurt his hand quite a bit, but he's willing to do anything in this situation. But in spite of his expectation, the man seemingly didn't feel anything, as he glared up the boy with dull eyes.

"You really expected that piece of wood would do some damage to me, a youkai? How naive is that?" though he tried his hardest to hide it with a poker face, Subaru saw a tiny glimpse of laughter on the corner of his mouth.

But that wasn't what flabbergasted Subaru. "A-A youkai? Like, the one in mythology?" he was surprised by the fact that he had been transported to a world very much like Japan such as this. What was the chance of that occurring?

"What are you babbling about? Nevertheless, you're gonna get beat up so bad, you wish for only the sweat sensation of death." Standing up, the man cracked his hands, waiting for the boy to make the first move - as though mocking him.

"Don't underestimate me!" shouting, Subaru rushed in with his trusty wooden stick and hit the man head with it in full force. As expected, the man grinned back with almost no damage except a few dirt on his forehead.

"Are you done being the biggest idiot?" the man asked in mockery. And when another hit came, he caught the stick bared hand. "A useless piece of shit like this," he pulled back his hand and punched forward, "is no better than garbage!"

The force of that oncoming attack was enough to break the thick wooden stick in one impact, sending Subaru to the dirty ground. It didn't hurt him that much, but the shockwave stunned the boy for a moment, but that was enough for the muscular youkai to close in and ready a second attack. This time things he might not be so lucky.

Subaru closed his eyes in wait of the inevitable; yet, it didn't come. Interrupting the man was a blue shot of something magical, of which Subaru had no idea. But it seemed dangerous since the thief in question - a man his desperate attack didn't work on so well - quickly jumped back to avoid this simple ball of light. His eyes were widened in absolute surprise - as though he'd seen a ghost. His face was as pale as a sheet, mumbling incoherently under his breath.

After a while, he finally found the will to utter a name, "K-Keine-sensei? W-Why are you here of all places. I th-thought you have a class."

"I have," a mature woman's voice reverberated from the entrance, "but I noticed a scream in this direction, so I'm coming to take a look. But alas, what I found was a youkai attacking a helpless boy in the human village? Seriously, how desperate are you?" she directed the question at the perpetrator.

"Really, I'm desperate now, am I not?" Dusting his dirty shirt, the man stood up proudly and stared into the woman's peerless eyes. "You, on the other hand, are soooo much better than us youkai. You advocate day in day out for the long-lasting peace between human and us. But to what end? Humans are killing youkais; youkais are killing humans. That's the way it is and the way it is going to be. Don't be so naive. Our nature cannot be changed so easily!"

"And that's the whole reason why I swore to side with humanity in a time of need! Most humans are powerless. You know that; everyone knows that! Like this boy you're hurting to steal something from him, humans are not equipped to fight youkai. Hence, I'd advise you to leave now or be ready to face the consequences."

"Tch. You preachy types are all the same...but at least you might be better than that annoying monk," the man grinned and turned back. "Even though I want to beat the shit out of that guy, I'll leave for today. See ya later."

Making certain the man had left, Keine sighed and reached out her hand for Subaru. "Can you stand up? Better be careful around here, since youkais have been getting more aggressive lately."

"Ah, thanks." Subaru grabbed her hand tightly, which he used as a leverage to pulled him up. "By the way, what's with him? I thought that he was trying to rob me, but it seems like he just wanted to beat the crap out of me."

"Like I said, youkais have been getting violent these past few days for seemingly no reasons. So humans would not get out of their houses unless necessary. With that out of the way, why are you out here in the open?"

"A-Ahahaha," laughed Subaru, "I was bored to death sitting like a nerd in my house. Then an idea popped up in my mind, 'Hey! Why don't I just go outside and see the world!' and so did I, which brings me here."

"That's nice and all. But you must think about your safety first and foremost!" her sudden voice stunned Subaru out of his usual antics.

"What would you do if you were to be killed alone in the wild? How would your parents feel if they find out about your death? What would I feel as the protector of humanity if I allow you to face miserable death due to my uselessness? Think about these factors before making this reckless decision!"

"But I didn't," the next words seemed to be stuck in his throat, but he forced them out, gulping down his saliva; "want to die."

_Why does it feel so nostalgic talking about dying? _ thought Subaru. It felt as though he personally experienced that sensation of death, that anguish, and that hopelessness before the eyes of death. He rashly shook his head to clear unpleasant thoughts from his head and focused his attention on Keine who seemed to realize something.

"What's wrong, boy?" Keine looked toward the pathetic boy with concern. Subaru touched his face in response to finding the sweaty sensation on his rough skin. He'd been sweating heavily for a while. His breathing was staggering. His mind was filled with confusion and questions crashing and swirling wildly within his brain.

Subaru sat down to catch breathe, "Sorry, but I was feeling quite tired earlier. Do you perhaps have a place where I can sleep in for tonight? It might be disrespectful of me to suddenly ask you this, but...I kinda don't have a choice left."

"Oh? Are you lost? Just for the record, I can search for your family if you like," sincerely asked Keine.

"No...You see, I don't have a family," he lied. "I was just an orphan who learned to survive by himself early on. This set of clothes and my stuff was given to me by my last family. But they'd been gone for a year now."

"Is that so?" she looked down in solemn. "Sorry for resurfacing your bad memories."

"It's fine, It's fine, really! It's been a long time already, and I need to stay alive right now, in the present!"

"If you're okay, then I'm glad," the mature girl smiled at him. She was akin to a proud mother watching her son grows and becomes a better person. Subaru was starting to feel guilty for deceiving her with pointless lies. But, he could not just tell her he came from another world, or he might look insane in the eyes of others.

"And, regarding your housing request, I think I can arrange something for you. Come to meet me at the village school when you have time. We'll see what we can do then."

After she waved at him along with a natural motherly smile that charmed anyone, Keine disappeared into the corner of the grim alleyway, leaving Subaru alone with his thought. There's no reason for him to refuse at this point. And for now, his primary goal should be finding out more about this world and its habitats - that is, if he wanted to live peacefully.

Cementing his resolve to renew his life in this new world of his, Subaru marched out of the despair-inducing alleyway towards his unbeknownst future. Right now he had no idea what kind of ordeals he might have to face, but he was sure that no matter what it was, his will and resolve were adamant enough to carry him through anything adversary.

With this sentiment in mind, he walked on the rocky path leading to the village center. His destination was clear: the Village School.

Along the way, Subaru had faced many obstacles; losing his way due to the complexities of the place that looked like a maze than a village, and stumbling upon a couple of bullies who threatened him, for example. Luckily, he got away from most of them, but they left a huge trauma on his mental state.

But in spite of his difficulties in getting here, he finally made it. Through his sweaty vision, he saw a massive wooden building on the north side of the square. It was probably the most popular building around here, judging by the fact that at the square stood a sea of people pouring into the building unstoppingly, though most of them wore outfits akin to a school uniform back in his world.

Some of those students were young, while others were old enough to be Subaru's grandfather. From this alone, Subaru inferred that those studying here were from all walks of life. Those that studied here were learning because they wanted to, not because it's their obligations. The idea there were people in this world who genuinely enjoyed learning on their own stuttered Subaru a bit.

_Why...Why does it feel so nostalgic and reminiscing? _thought Subaru, grabbing his own beating chest.

At last, he steeled his determination and marched on. Blending into a river of studious types, Subaru had success in getting inside the school with ease.

Now, the only thing left is to find Keine. After getting away from the crowd, his glance was met with plate dictating the way to the headmaster office. Subaru didn't know if Keine was the headmaster, but he or she might be his best guess in finding her.

With his goal being fixed, Subaru turned left when he could and entered the last door in the hallway which has a _the headmaster _room plate hanging above. Though this might seem a bit too bombastic of him, Subaru at the time only wanted to end this as soon as possible.

But the person who sat on the headmaster desk sipping and surfing through documents was not who he was expecting. He remembered it clearly - since it was impossible to forget - that image of a mature woman in blue with a weird hat.

As the boy was stuttering in awe, the woman noticed his presence and gave him a soft smile. She tried to hide it, but her dark eyes suggesting a lack of sleep implied otherwise.

"I didn't take a good look before, but…" Subaru closed in a while maintaining the usual grin, "you don't really like to take care of yourself, huh?"

Keine silently nodded and stacked the unfinished documents. "What can I do? I'm both the protector and the educator. If there's the need, I must be there with haste. The result is as you can see. My body is getting weaker each day, and there's nothing I can do about that."

"Is that so," the boy looked down in understanding. "By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I?" Subaru speedily changed his tone into a playful one and stuck his favorite pose out. "Let it be known that my name is Natsuki Subaru! I'll be in your care from now on!"

"Um, okay, Subaru. But if it's not too much to ask, what are you doing?"

"This is my victory pose, a victory pose, you hear!" Subaru returned to being natural in his mannerism. "You may not understand how deep and meaningful this pose truly is, but that's fine! Every great person only got appreciated long after their time - Da Vinci, Newton, and debatably Einstein, to name a few!"

"I don't know who any of these people are, but...you seem to be all right after that traumatic event." Keine smiled, "I'm glad."

"Y-Yeah, thanks for your consideration," Subaru embarrassingly rubbed his head, not used to receiving praise.

"Ah, I nearly forgot." Pulling out the desk drawer, Keine picked up a plain rusty key. "This might seem bad, but do forgive me for not being able to provide you with a room of higher standard. This is all I have."

"No bad feeling, Keine-sensei," Subaru walked forward in glee, forcefully taking the key away from her. "I, Natsuki Subaru, can sleep anywhere, anytime. So don't you need to be worried about my circumstances. From what I can see, you deserve rest more than anyone else."

"Ah, no need for concerns," Keine lightly brushed off Subaru's remark like nothing. "You can find the wooden dormitory on the left after leaving through the front door. Look for a room numbered 2002 on the second floor. Be sure to rest well and come to see me tomorrow at 6:30."

"Wait, why 6:30?"

"You don't seriously expect me to give you accommodation for free, do you?" Keine put away the documents she had finished a moment ago. "First rule of life: those who don't work don't deserve to eat, or some such. I'd hope you have no complaints."

"Of course not." How else could he answer? Her offer was the last bastion of hope for him to avoid becoming a homeless man. Living like that every day would not only destroy his soul but also his dignity as a proud Japanese man. Almost immediately after, Keine smiled back with a calm angelic expression, calming all those under her.

"Then, you'd better get going before the sunset. And I don't want you staying up late, all right, or you might get eaten by a youkai without me to help you."

"Yeah, yeah. Seriously though, are you my mom or something? No, even my late mom was not as strict as you."

"Really? I think being strict is good though. If I were to be too lenient on my students, many of them could turn out to be the unproductive of society, especially in this day and age, where more and more distractions have emerged. I, as a simple teacher, only want the best for my pupils."

"Yeah, I guess." To be honest, Subaru didn't listen to most of the woman's lecture, but not due to him being a bad listener. He'd been hiding it so well all this time, but the fatigue was starting to chip away his mental health. Perpetuating this condition without rest could become dangerous in the long term.

Thus, Subaru announced his goodbye to his savior, "I'm sorry, Keine-sensei, but I'd better be going now. See you in the morning!"

"Yeah...See you…" Was it just his imagination or Keine-sensei's voice seemed weaker than usual? Obviously, she ought to get exhausted after a long day of teaching and writing on meaningless paperwork. But that voice, that voice was as though she was thoroughly done with life - as though nothing could be done to facilitate her problems. She had given up everything about her life.

_I wonder what ticked her off_, thought Subaru as he ran down the hallway when the bell rang, and rivers of students were flocking out of their respective classrooms. _Well, women have their occasional moments of irrational. If I leave her alone for a while, she might be more receptive._

Disrupting his flowing thought was a 10-year-old girl crashing into him. "Ough!" she fell down to the floor, rubbing her butt in pain.

"Ah, are you alright?" Subaru reached out his hand for the little girl. "It's probably my fault for standing so conspicuously in the middle of the hallway."

"No need for that, big bro," the girl jumped up, ignoring his offer. "I didn't look carefully enough and therefore crashed into you. It's my fault," she bowed. "Please accept my apology!"

"Then, apology accepted!" Subaru grinned. "Speaking of which, this school is surely popular, huh. Are you all from the human village?"

"Not exclusively, but most of us are! Me and a couple others, for example, are youkais from the forest of magic. But don't worry! We don't eat people; we are friendly youkais!"

"Really? What is the point of them then? I thought youkais are supposed to be the enemies of humanity or something."

"Heh, heh. Big bro, that's called discrimination. Unless you want to be reduced to nothing but bones and meat, refrain from speaking such things outside."

Suddenly, the invisible wall of air separating the two - a human and a youkai - seemed to be shattered to pieces. The only thing left...was an indescribable sensation of dread, of unknown terror that's soon to emerge. Feeling deep fear crept up his spine, Subaru gulped.

"That's...well...interesting," he scratched his head; droplets of sweat were pouring out from his forehead, hands, and legs. "But unfortunately, big bro doesn't have time to continue this conversation. You see, he just got accepted by the headmaster to live in the dorm nearby, and he needs a bit of time to rest. As such, it might be preferable if we can meet later tomorrow?"

"That's understandable," the girl rushed past him and turned her head to stare at his eyes. Was it just him or were her eyes just shone brightly in red? "Have a good night of sleep and don't you dare forget me, big bro!"

"Yeah," Subaru raised his ring finger. "Promise."

Given an innocent laugh, the girl rushed away and disappeared into the corner that - if he remembered correctly - led to the courtyard. _How energetic. Kids will always be kids, huh?_

As he left through the front door, Subaru immediately saw an old two-story building on the left. There's a _Dormitory _sign hung on top. And at the entrance, playing and chatting together were people of various age; an old man near his death bed, a middle age man at this most stressful moment of his life, a teen who thinks he knew everything, and an innocent kid who knew nothing of the world, of the reality they lived in.

Having no interest in any kind of conversation, Subaru paced around the crowd of people in haste. Once he reached the wooden door, he pushed it in, revealing a place so ancient it could be placed inside a museum for future generations.

It's evident that this place was not kept in shape for many, many years, apparent from the dust collected at the ceiling and the dirty floor comprised of insects. Usually, Subaru was not a picky person, but even he was almost fainted by the disgusting sensation perpetrating his skin. _How could anyone live here_, he thought.

But enough thinking and disgust. Since earlier he had been feeling pretty light-headed, as though hallucinating. One thing Subaru needed the most right now was a comfortable bath and a bed, even though the sun hadn't even set yet and the voices of children were still resounding from the courtyard.

No, the voices of those people seemed to grow even further. His vision started deteriorating, swirling with no order. There's something seriously wrong!

Subaru forced his body to stand up despite the dizziness and grabbed the stair handrail, pushing his tired muscles up against the gravity. And when he reached the second floor, he observed the left and the right, intending on finding his room. Luckily, he'd found it; the room was the first door on his left, with an intelligible _2002_ plate upon it.

Opening the door, Natsuki Subaru didn't take away a single second to indulge in the room - for his attention was withering away - but fell on his long-awaited comfy bed. He was so indescribably tired, so tired that he wanted to sleep and never woke up again. That was how much he wished for the release of this sickening feeling.

At last, Subaru succumbed to his tiredness and closed his eyes. In his heart, he hoped for a better tomorrow where he would begin his first real work. And if possible, he also expected that Keine-sensei would be more approachable when the sun rose.

Subaru flipped open his vision. As he looked out the window, the day was already turned into dark. Shining brightly on the sky was the full moon he's familiar with back home, though he'd never gone outside lately. But that's a story for another day.

For now, because he slept early, the feeling of dizziness and tiredness disappeared, leaving him with the raw energy of a young boy his age. As a result, Subaru had nothing else to do but stay in his room alone, picking his nose or something.

"As if I would do that," Subaru muttered and got out of bed. "Before, I wasn't really paying attention, but that symptom was no joke and nearly killed me. I should probably ask the staff at the hospital what's going on with me."

Fixating on the new objective, Subaru rummaged through the groceries bag to find any item worth carrying. Obviously not the magazine and the snacks. Those could be used later but not now. His telephone, on the other hand, seemed essential to him. Subaru could, for instance, utilize it as a flashlight in dark places, look at the current time, and various other usages that he couldn't think of.

Pushing his flip phone into the leg pocket, Subaru was ready to move out. He carefully got out from the door - as to not create a disruption for others - and walked down the stair.

He understood wholeheartedly that this was night time. Most people would either be asleep or drunken somewhere, but this was too quiet. The lights in the surrounding area were also off. If Subaru didn't sense an unnatural before, this was definitely it. The city roaming with people of many different races and ages changed into a wasteland of lost souls.

Screw it. He's not gonna stay silent anymore. Something had happened, and if he didn't act, he would just get consumed by the unknown force. "Hey! Is there anyone here?!"

Shouted as he might, there's no answer. But Subaru couldn't accept this fundamental truth. Hitting his shaking legs as hard as he could, Subaru rushed out of the dormitory. In his crying heart, he was praying for this to be a joke, a joke that he could laugh it off.

But alas, the reality was far harsher than his expectation. The most disturbing of imagery that would haunt his mind for years to come unfolded.

"Th-This has to be a...joke, right?" Subaru questioned his sanity, covering his almost puking mouth with his stuttering hands.

An all familiar smell of intestines, of the moisty brain, of scattered guts touched his nose. As his sense of reality returned, he recognized a pile of bodies laid in the middle of the street. The blue fountain from before was now changed to a fountain of blood that propelled constant red liquid out of the top.

Under the moonlit night, where individuals from all walks of life could indulge in its beauty, the supposedly beautiful world was now painted red with the death of many. Feeling disgusted and horrified, Subaru released a stream of food from his mouth onto the dirt path.

Not letting him finish, however, a shadow jumped out from the dormitory's corner and bit him in the neck. He didn't even have time to scream his lung out for help or salvation. The presence had yanked out his nerves in a simple movement and effectively rendered him immobilized on the floor.

Unfortunately for him, his vision still worked perfectly. If it didn't, he might not have to face the mysterious perpetrator standing with no remorse in front of him. If it didn't, he might have been able to preserve his perfect memory of her as the ideal teacher everyone ought to follow.

Everything was just like usual; her blue attire and her weird hat came into view. Though, this time, the person in question also had two horns on her head and a pair of dark crimson eyes. Her appearance remained mostly the same, except for the fact that her facial expression reeked of madness and insatiable hunger, and that his own blood was dripping from her pink lips.

Subaru wanted to ask '_Why' _most of all, but no word came out. As it was, he couldn't even find adequate air to utter a single coherent letter, let alone a sentence.

"Don't you think the full moon is particularly beautiful today?" began the incomprehensible existence named Keine. "Beautiful enough to compromise this night of terror with a feeling of hope, am I right?"

In spite of his pain, however, Subaru forced his body to move and reached out his left hand to grip her foot with blood shotted glare. He didn't desire death; if this woman was going to kill him, then he had to defy that predestined fate.

"Oh? I commend you for your inability to die quickly, but...that would only make you suffer more, I suppose." Keine raised her arm and swung it down, breaking Subaru's spine with a loud crack. This time his body actually refused to keep working. His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier. And thus, his grip on her leg loosened.

"Sleep well, my soon-to-be student," said Keine in a surprisingly regretful tone. Subaru felt a lip pressed against his forehead before releasing, though he didn't care anymore. Subaru wanted a long rest, and he needed it now as his consciousness was slipping away.

And even her voice seemed to be so far away, "The shrine maiden should soon be here, huh. How late can you be?"

The last thing Subaru registered before everything blanked out entirely was a single drop of tear from a lonely woman amongst the field of dead bodies.

_Why are you making such a sad expression when you've killed us yourself?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Arc 1 Adjustment**

**Chapter 2 A Lunatic World**

The sweet aroma of death tickled his nose. That's strange. Even though Subaru had never experienced death himself, this feeling was oddly familiar to him and all his five senses.

But that mattered not. He'd been released from the world of suffering at last. In this world of darkness, of complete nothingness bound to die, he could find lasting peace. Happiness was overflowing from his stopped heart.

Interrupting his moment of relaxation and peace was a shadow woman standing at the world horizon with her back facing him. Even then, however, Subaru saw many drops of tear splashing and disappearing when it impacted the nonexisting floor.

_Satella_, a word that seemed both foreign and intimate to him suddenly attacked his mind. With a loud noise, the world if nothingness shattered and collapsed pieces by pieces until the darkness was painted bright by the light shining from above.

For a moment, all he could see was the color white which damaged his eyes with each passing second. It's even burning all the neuron nerves that helped him to see the world's beauty in its glory.

Fortunately, the terror soon ended. As the blinding light faded away, the scenery of a rural Japanese village revealed itself.

People were talking, children were playing, and merchants were marketing their goods, like how a healthy, functioning society would be.

But he saw everyone died by his own two eyes. It's hard to believe that civilians would be up and running this fast. Although some magical doctors might be able to save them, it still wouldn't make sense for people to be acting this natural. Soldiers would be running rampant in search of the criminal by now.

_Was it just a dream, then?_

Yeah, that's the only explanation for yesterday event. A caring person like Keine-sensei wouldn't find the drive in her to kill an insect, let alone people who were close to her.

But just to be on the safe side, he wanted to go to the village school again, to find out the truth behind this phenomenon. It might also be his most significant chance of testing the fact in that disturbing dream.

Cementing his resolve to face reality - though he didn't realize the fact that he knew the truth all along - Natsuki Subaru marched on toward the building of his apparent death.

Hearing no sound of people nor animals, Subaru stopped before the massive door into the wooden building, the school for humans and youkais that provided an ideal place for beings from all species could live together in prosperity.

And this place was also her dream, Keine's dream. As his train of thoughts hit this line of thinking, Subaru forced down his saliva in haste, nervousness building up inside his fragile heart.

To be honest, he was afraid. Afraid that his deepest fear might turn out to be real, that his 'dream' would come back to hit him in the face, shouting at his own idiocy for not believing. _Again, why does it feel like a Deja vu? _

Again and again, even when he was still in the real world, Subaru often had flashbacks of him talking to a silver-haired girl and a blue hair maid, of him, disintegrating a woman heart by declaring his love for someone else, someone he loved with all his heart.

Which is why he was not feeling confused at all in this situation. While his mind might get turned into a jumbled mess, his body tended to disagree. It knew exactly how to deal with this predicament, as though experienced it many times in the past. Though, he didn't remember any of those.

Having made up his mind, Subaru pushed open the door. He proceeded to ignore any remaining traces of class activities starting in different classes and keep moving towards the headmaster office. As he entered, the same gentle person he'd expected was there, looking over teaching material with a severe expression.

"H-Hi there, Keine-sensei," uttered Subaru, trying his best to stay natural.

She looked up and narrowed her eyes, confused at the boy's strange behavior, "Excuse me, boy. But do I know you personally?"

Her statement stunned Subaru speechless. How could she have forgotten about saving him and advising him to come here in case of emergency? I didn't look probable, yet this confirmed his theory on what had happened.

He had dreams like this before. Dreams, where he'd die and resurrect back in the past, the date and time depending on where the save point was. While he could easily dismiss those as fake reality and nothing more, what occurred today reminded him of everything he'd forgotten, even though he didn't know what's actually going on.

Thinking back further upon it, the image of a silver-haired elf and a blue-haired Oni had strengthened in his hurting brain. _Why does it feel so hurt and sorrowful? _solemnly asked Subaru in contemplation at his own forgetfulness. If crying could help me attain such a precious memory back once me, he would cry right about now, welling like a child on the floor without a care in the world.

But that would solve nothing but perpetuate the predicament even further. Obviously, seeing him raving like a mad child would only confuse her. Subaru understood it perfectly the result of his own immaturity and pitifulness. He refused to make the same mistake ever again; he had vowed his promise to start from zero under that hot sun...with the one person Subaru couldn't forget, yet he did.

Yes. He was like that, once. A confused child who knew nothing of the world and expected people to understand him regardless. The only one who deserved to bear this great sin - Return By Death - was him and him alone, and he couldn't impose that sin upon anyone else.

Hardening his resolve like a war veteran who had been through many daunting battlefields, Subaru forced a smile, one that he'd been putting on for years for others. "Ah, no, Keine-sensei. I don't believe we've met," he extended his hand. "My name is Natsuki Subaru. I heard that this school accepts those who have no place in society?"

"Yes," putting the document down, Keine's expression turned serious. "Are you perhaps in trouble or something? People don't usually come to us willingly, so it's weird that you'd consider this school first and foremost. Have you tried the Myouren Temple yet?"

"Myouren Temple?"

"You know, the one at the outskirt of Human Village? Where have you been all this time without knowing about them?"

"Oh. Heh, heh," Subaru laughed, rubbing his head in nervousness. "You could say I'm a newcomer who recently decided to live here, and I'd very much appreciate a person who could guide me. That's when I heard residents talking about you, Keine-sensei. You're certainly popular, huh?"

"Debatable." Standing up, Keine walked up to glare at him, her gaze getting intense. "Even though I'm doing my best to protect humans and neutralize aggressive youkais, a lot of people and youkais alike hate my way. That's the way it is. Some people love you; some people dislike you. However, you must still stand for what you believe in. What do you think?"

"Of course, having your opinions on things is important for progression, but I don't like the idea of someone dying for their belief. It's not worth it in my viewpoint."

"Hoh? Why do you think so?"

"I don't know. I just don't to think about pain and death and those kinds of stuff." Shaking his head, Subaru prompt to change the subject, "Ah, Keine-sensei. Um, I've come here for potential job opportunities, since I don't have a place to go and all."

"Work, huh." Pacing around the desk, she pulled out the drawer and picked up a rusty key. "I don't need an assistant now, but I might have something for you later. As such, get some rest at the dorm nearby, and I'll tell you wh-"

"No!" Subaru shouted on impulse, which startled Keine. "Um…I mean. I can still work just fine without the need for rest. I can do anything, you know, from reorganizing documents to mopping the floor to cleaning the toilet. Order me, and I'll do it!"

"But I really don't ha-"

"Doesn't matter!" he pointed at the documents above the cabinets, implicitly telling Keine his intention. "I see that you have numerous papers to sign. Let me help you finish them faster!"

"Wait! This is moving way too fast, Subaru-kun! Besides, how do you know that I need to sign those official documents!? Even my students know nothing of this!"

_Oh, shit_, Subaru lamented at his inability to remain inconspicuous. At this point, it wouldn't be strange for her to see him as a stalker. He must do something quick, or he might lose this potential way out forever. "I'm sorry, Keine-san."

"Sorry for what?"

Subaru suppressed his inner chuckle. "Before I came in, I was talking with your students for a bit. And what I learned was how hard you work each day without any time for yourself. You know, Keine- sensei, even though you might think otherwise, even though you might think many people hate you, you are everyone's model. And, to further support that notion, when I first came into this room, I only saw a lonely hardworking woman, with piles upon piles of work left undone."

"And you instinctively think that these documents on the selves are my unfinished work?" Keine facepalmed herself, refusing to acknowledge this insane excuse.

"A-Am I wrong?"

"No, you're not, but that's even more unbelievable to me. And, let's talk about your excuse a little." Leaning her tired back against the desk, Keine began her lecture. "Be honest with me, you were observing me before coming in, correct?"

"Um, how did you come to such a conclusion?"

"I'm a teacher, Subaru-kun. I deal with lying children all the time. Don't think you can get under my radar that easily. Now, tell me the truth. Did you or did you not?"

"The truth is…" Subaru gulped down saliva building in his throat, resisting nervousness that built over time. "I didn't lie; I never did. And that's my final answer."

Both laid eyes on each other, trying to find false in the other's resolve. Keine remained as resolute as ever. Her current occupation of being a teacher helped in recognizing instances where children lied, but Subaru was sure that he didn't lie this time, although he did many times in the past. _She must be bluffing, _thought Subaru. _There's no conceivable way she can know for sure whether I lied to her._

Keine finally sighed in resignation, "Hah~ I thought I might get you with that, but it seems like you told the truth. Sorry about that."

"S-So, does that mean you'll accept me as your assistant?"

"For now, yes. There's no reason for me to turn away desperate people who just want a place to live." Jumping away from the desk, the teacher moved to the shelves, took the cardboard box containing all the documents, then placed it in front of the boy.

"This is your job."

"Excuse me?"

Keine selected one of the papers and handed it to Subaru. An examination paper by a student numbered 202. "This is gonna be your and my job. Examining and grading the final papers."

"Wait a minute. And these are classified?"

"It's technically classified. My students don't even know these are the final exam. Yes, I did tell them 'We're gonna have an exam today,' but none of them took this seriously."

"Yeah," said Subaru, looking down at the 8/2 question to which the examiner answered 2. "It is very much apparent."

"Right~?" Keine adoringly giggled by herself, before coughing. "Anyway, let's get this started, so we can take a break faster."

And so, began his work under the supervision of the village's kindest, most generous person he'd ever known. _But then, was the horned monstrosity under that moonlight the real you, Keine-sensei?_

"Boss, I do have a question," inquired Subaru, having finished another atrociously answered paper. "Do you have a plan after school?"

"Nothing in particular. Why might you be asking such a thing?" casually replied Keine, still busied marking her own share.

"I just thought that…um…we can do something together?" _like watching over your behavior, _thought Subaru. That way, he could figure out what caused a benevolent person like her to become that monster who mercilessly killed children and adult alike.

"I'm really sorry. Other than us not knowing about each other that well, I think being with me today is a really, really bad idea. Because today the moon will be full."

Yes, a night under the full moon. A conflict he must overcome this time, no matter how long it took. Sweats were pouring out of his skin in anticipation of this night, but he tried his best to act innocent, oblivious to everything. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Ah…That…" she struggled to get a single out. One thing became apparent to Subaru; she was hiding a deep dark secret within her heart, not finding the courage to tell the others. Even if he felt sorry for her, Subaru's willing to put forth any means to reach that happy ending. After that, then, could he begin to recover his lost memory.

"Keine-sensei. Can you tell me what's on your mind? I'm not certain that I'm the right person for this, but I can at least listen."

Uh, ah. It's nothing important. Don't get so worked up about that," her eyes reflected a small sense of tiredness, again – like the last loop. Her condition wasn't this bad before.

Pushing the issue wouldn't solve the problem but complicate it, hence his decision to go back to finishing his impending work. Keine, on the other hand, seemed more restless as minutes turned into hours, as the day slowly turned into night.

Subaru, having completed the last exam paper, turned his vision to Keine who fell asleep on her chair, exhausted. He's about to wake her up and move her to sleep in her own comfy bed when the door silently opened.

What appeared from the door surprised him. An image of a little girl he remembered meeting — though only for a couple of minutes — in the first timeline. Her beautiful blonde hair was floating through the air as she ignored him and went straight to the sleeping teacher.

"Keine-sensei wake up!" she shouted, shaking the teacher's shoulder. "Don't you remember our promise?"

"I'd advise we let her rest for now," said Subaru, walking up with hands in pockets. "I don't believe we've met?" Subaru laughed and did his most favorite pose. "If so, then let the name Natsuki Subaru be known! Nice to meet you, kid!"

"Um, yeah. Nice to meet you too, big bro," the girl stared at him, unimpressed and returned her glance to the teacher. "Sorry, but I don't have time to play with you, mister. Keine-sensei and I have something we need to do together. If you quietly leave now, that'd be great."

"Come on! Can you at least tell me what you've been up to? I think — as her assistant — I deserved to know where she's gonna go."

In that instance, deep fear started to creep up on Subaru's spine. There's something seriously incomprehensible in those eyes of her — as though they were piecing hos soul, threatening to destroy it if he took a step back. They are no differences between this girl and the evilest of monster; that's what he thought.

"Ha, ha," the girl laughed in delight, taking her hand off the teacher's body. "I changed my mind. At first, I thought you were just some guy she's been hiring on a whim, but you've piqued my interest."

"Hah? In what way? You finally realized how awesome I am?"

"Not in the way you're thinking." As the girl walked closer and was about to touch him, a voice sounded from behind, "Um…What happen?"

"Keine-sensei!" she quickly transformed the terrifying façade, a mask, into an innocent little girl. "Do you remember our promise?!"

"What promise?" replied Keine, mumbling to herself incoherently. "Oh…Now everything is returning."

"Um…Sensei?" Subaru interjected, confused at the entire ordeal. "What's about this promise of yours? Can you let me in a little bit?"

"There's no need to get concerned over my wellbeing or the like," she raised her tired body up. "Just go back to your dorm and meet me again tomorrow at 6:30 AM. We've got a lot of work to do."

"You heard her, big bro," said the girl, showing her teeth. "It won't take long, I promise."

"Is…that so?" Subaru slowly walked back to the desk and sat on the creaking chair once more, to the others' confusion. "You guys can go on ahead. I want to spend some time thinking by myself."

Keine didn't seem convinced. "Subaru, I explicitly told you to go to your room, didn't I? This is my problem and my responsibility alone. None others should have to bear this other than me."

"That's understandable," Subaru picked up a random mathematics book from the desk, reading and skimming through it. "But I've got a random spark of interest in this kind of stuff, so I figure I might want to stay here over the night, to broaden my knowledge!"

Keine blinked once, twice, then thrice, her eyes absent of belief. But — just as she was about to open her mouth — the blonde girl pushed the teacher back towards the door, persuading her not to say anything any more than necessary.

"Then, have a good night, big bro!" With a bright smile, she suddenly closed the door, which left Subaru by his lonely self. Subaru gradually put the façade of an act down and was ready to follow their trail.

This was the moment of truth where he would finally know what's going on with Keine in the last room. _And_, most importantly of all, _why did she have to make that expression of anger and sadness? _

Subaru had to find out the reason behind that puzzling behavior at all cost.

Checking there's no one watching him behind the door, Subaru made his way through the wooden hallway without its usual vigor. Kids running around and playing with one another with no care in the world, which reminded him of his childhood quite a bit. He was like that a long time ago — full of life and energy — but even he didn't know the exact moment where everything went wrong for him.

And to be honest, Subaru didn't know if he had a single justifiable reason for how he'd been acting. A spoiled, pitiable brat; that's what he was. He's never anything more than that. But, there's a reason why he'd been given _Return By Death_.

This power gave him power beyond the scope of human understanding. And at the same time, it gave him the only change to right the wrong. It's the ultimate power everyone wished for in time of need. Yet, many of them moved on, not looking back ever again.

_Because life goes on_, thought Subaru as he shoved open the entrance. _Lamenting over a lost cause can be more detrimental to your mental health than getting over the fact that you cannot change the past. But, what about me, then, who's been provided with a great power that can fix everything — no matter how dire the situation is?_

Subaru possessed an ability that created numerous discrepancies in the world; human beings continued to struggle regardless of their condition because we didn't want to find ourselves trapped in an undesirable outcome. In Subaru's case, however, he was effectively unable to construct the best result, having no fear of the consequences.

_Even still, lamented_ Subaru, _with this power of mine, I can make a difference in the world. Yes, I want to do this. Only then can I finally be the hero Natsuki Subaru like I promised._ An image of a blue-haired girl flashed past his vision yet again, but still not clear enough for him to discern her identity. But though annoyed at this constant stream of memory, Subaru still needed to see with his own eyes what Keine's been up to. And that inexplicable visage of a horned monstrosity.

After running for a while—as the scenery changed from a human village into trees and wild animals—at last, Subaru saw two figures standing on a cliff. Keine was staring at the girl with a worry expression.

"Now," Keine asked without a sense of comfort. "Tell me the terms and conditions."

"Getting right to the point, eh, Keine-sensei?" She seemed to not take the other that seriously as she played with her blonde hair while half-listening. "Why don't we calm down a little and have a chat before getting right to the business?"

"Unfortunately, I want to eradicate any potential threats first before they get out of hand. And I won't allow any of you to harm the villagers," though sweats were pouring out due to unexplainable nervousness, Keine hardened her facial expression.

"If so, then let me introduce myself!" the girl gracefully bowed like a trained maid; that was not something an eighth grader in a rural village could do. Then, again, her eyes flashed red. "My name is Clownpiece, a hell fairy!"

"A fairy? Impossible," Keine mumbled. "They shouldn't be able to think on your level. You've been here for almost a year now and doing pretty well compared to your classmates. If you're truly a fairy, then that would destroy everything I know about Gensokyo."

"Ha, ha, ha. That's all thanks to my masters! But we didn't come here to discuss them, so that has to wait!"

"Right…About the Human Village. You came here, to Gensokyo just so you could plant a seed that will be waiting for the inevitable day. You told me as much since the first day and therefore my decision to accept you. What I wonder, however, is what is your masters' true goal? Is it just for the complete destruction of our paradise?"

"If we really, really want to do that, then what's stopping us from doing so ages ago? Yep! Our reason isn't as shallow as that!"

"But then, why," said Keine, feeling a sense of dread and nauseate dwelling up in the throat, though she quickly regained her composure. "Why did, since the day you come, youkais residing in the surrounding became that much more aggressive? Do you realize how many citizens those beasts have killed compared to before?"

"I don't know about that. But we absolutely had no part in that. We only want to complete our objective—our project, if you will."

"Y-Your project? Might I ask what that is?"

"It's useless, sensei. I am anything but a lowly fairy who happens to be loved by the higher-ups. Expecting me to know every single detail about the plan would be too much. And even if I know, that still wouldn't do you much good."

"Huh?" _Huh? _Both the listener and the observer exclaimed at the same time. Subaru had been feeling the weirdness building up for quite some time, but this was on a whole new level. If he absolutely had to describe this feeling, he would say that it's like knowing a jumpscare is inevitable, yet it doesn't deliver. An impending sensation of doom was telling him to get away from the spot fast.

But just as Subaru was about to stand up and get away, the world turned from colored to dark, from light to nothingness. Except for a single touch in the distance that rendered him confused beyond repair. His vision was spinning and not working probably. Subaru was exhausted – really exhausted.

It might not be so bad if he were to shut his brain down for a moment. As he thought that, cutting off his consciousness was a flash of light.

And he heard a faraway cute, familiar voice, "It's Lunatic Timeeeee!"

Subaru wondered how long he had been walking, senseless, without guiding direction. But nothing mattered anymore, to him nor to anyone else.

His body was like an automatically maintained robotic machine. It would walk with a particular task in mind and try to complete it by any means necessary.

During this time, Subaru had walked through all kinds of disturbance. Screaming people whose eyes absent from sanity. Dying children with gaping wounds on their stomach. A crying woman sitting alongside her dead husband's lifeless body. The human village, the last bastion of hope for humanity, had been turned to nothing but a barbaric wasteland filled to the brim with insanity and waves of anger.

Slowly, Subaru continued walking without guidance until he recognized a person blocking his way. A horned monstrosity. Yet, he felt strangely relaxed. This time—for sure—he would emerge victorious.

Taking out a bloody knife from his beloved tracksuit, Subaru rushed forward, mouth pouring out saliva; a mad man, that he had become.

To his surprise, instead of counterattacking his attack immediately, Keine carelessly stood there until a knife had penetrated her chest. When warm blood dripping from her mouth impacted his grinning expression, a man named Natsuki Subaru stopped his action almost instantly.

"Heh, heh, heh, heh." His sense of hearing returned and all he could register into his ears was his own laughter, accompanied by a knife in hand buried inside her stomach. After realized what he had done, Subaru slowly glanced up met a pair of genuine sad eyes.

"Thank…you…" she uttered before her body went limp and fell upon Subaru. Unable to support the weight, his back violently impacted the ground, creating a cloud of dust.

Minutes turned into hours. Subaru didn't know how much time had passed except the sounds of agony had ceased by now. In their place lingered a smell of blood and gores.

And still on top of him motionlessly laid the body of a kind teacher who saved him when he had none else to rely on—not unlike that of a doll. Subaru wasn't that unfamiliar with a dead body; he was used to it, in fact. But that didn't mean that he could act as though nothing had occurred.

Keine-sensei, in her last moment, asked him to kill her with his own hands because she did not want to be a monster. While Subaru thought he understood her dream, her ideology, and her final goal—even though he had the ultimate power named Return By Death—in the end, he couldn't save anyone.

Then, should he kill himself now? It ought to be easy, right? After all, he had been dead and alive many times in the past. What was the difference if he were to die one more time?

_There it is, _thought Subaru. Still piecing her skin was a knife he remembered taken from the school kitchen. With that, he might be able to end this life of his and start over again_. _And this time, with the knowledge of the culprit, he already saw the way out. He only needed to command this hand to pull this knife off and slice his throat; that's all he required.

Yet, his stupid hand refused to move, shaking in fright. Damn it! By now he should know the reason for his continuous existence: to rectify the seemingly inescapable lousy ending. He was the only person capable of doing so. But death terrified him, much more than anything else.

As he lamented at his own stupid weakness, he heard a set of footsteps, similar to those of human beings rather than a monster he had become. They were coming closer until the sound stopped. Four people were glancing down at him and Keine's lifeless body, their eyes filled with sadness.

"Byakuren-sama," said the girl resembled a tiger. "It seems like those fairies attacking the temple were a decoy. Their real target was the Human Village all along."

"I know…" mumbled the monk. "Are there any survivors?"

"As far as I know, no," replied the rat girl. "Even after using my ability to find the treasure—in this case, living human—nothing had yet to be found."

"I see…" answered the monk girl before crouching next to the dying boy. "Then, what's about him? I'm sure he's still alive."

"Not for long," the tiger girl sat nearby. "Besides, he's too far gone to be saved. Looking at his eyes alone is all we need."

Byakuren observed the boy's condition, touching him in various place without receiving a single reply, then sighed. "The curse of insanity…. What a terrifying ability that was. His pupils —though like a normal person at first glance—indicated the world he had been struck in, a world where he would suffer for eternity in the bottomless ocean full of guilt, the knowledge that he had killed numerous people with his own bare hand," her face turned grim.

"You're saying that," the girl wearing a sailor uniform contributed to the conversation after staying silent for a long while; "no matter what we do, we couldn't save anyone? After we have preached that we will create a paradise where all humans and youkais can live in prosperity? Damn it!" As her anger reached the limit, she slammed the ground, angry at her own—no—their own incompetence.

"Calm down, Murasa," Byakuren calmly got up. "What's been lost cannot be revived. Not even the greatest magician cannot do that. Only the most horrifying of monsters such as she possesses the power. There's so much we could do as youkais. Instead, we should be ready to march on towards a better tomorrow."

"True," agreed the lion girl. "But what should be our next course of action? Even the Miko is nowhere to be found after the incident had taken place. Do you suppose she's…"

"Don't be so pessimistic, Shou," said Byakuren. "I'm certain she's not the type of person to abandon us all in time of need, even though her demeanor might say otherwise.

Though unconvinced, Shou nodded her head, "Right. But first, what should we do to this young man here? He's muttering a string of incoherent words for a while now. Honestly, I'm starting to get worried."

"End his suffering, Shou."

"Huh?"

"We can either leave him be which leads to him dying a miserable death, or we can end it all for him right now. Regardless, we still can't help him. I'd rather choose a path that makes people think bad of me than allowing this young man to suffer in that eternal hell."

As she saw her mentor walked by, Shou clicked her tongue and raised the dull-looking spear high. "Do forgive me, young man. This is for the best."

Accompanying a flash of light was a heavy drop of a spherical object. Subaru blinked a couple of times when he recognized his own body clad in red liquid. His head had been chopped off. And his consciousness would soon follow.

Mustering the last drop of his willpower, Subaru stared up at the woman looking down upon his dying head. A woman filled with regret, even though she tried to hide it.

And like that, akin to a film being cut, Natsuki Subaru's consciousness was shut down. All wait for him was the darkness and his relentless hope for the next loop. The boy innately grinned for no one in particular.

He understood…He knew exactly what had to be done in order to save everyone. This time, for certain, he would destroy this hell with his own bare hand.


	3. Chapter 3

**Arc 1: Adjustment**

**Chapter 3 The Preparation **

Again, Natsuki Subaru experienced that uncomfortable sensation of death which —as weird as that sounded—calmed him, even though the process of death didn't exactly entice him.

Shining upon his body promptly was a bright light of the outside world, indicating his new rebirth in this fantasy world. As his body was sped up towards the sky, the world of nothingness regained its brightness, and the reality unfolded before Subaru's tired vision.

He might have a peculiar feeling with regards to death itself since he had some connection to it, but tried as he might, Subaru couldn't get used to it, no matter how many times he had died. He was panting by his lonesome self as people were walking past him, annoying noise of a busy street ringing through his eardrums.

But everything was alright now. Subaru'd figured the way by which he would utilize to reach the happy ending. The main reason for why he died in the last few loops was because of that girl called Clownpiece. The person who ruined everything he held dear. She'd been succeeding her plan due to an element of surprise. If Subaru had taken that away from her, her so-called 'project' would have a much higher rate to fail.

As such, there's only one place that could help him at this point. He'd been hearing about it in previous loops but had never considered them as allies. But from what he heard, they might be his last hope in defeating those fairies in the fastest manner.

The Myouren Temple.

People were speaking of them as though they're this massive benevolent force that protected the village in the time of necessity. If Subaru could convince the monks of the village's bleak future, he'd have an entire army to hinder the attack. Then getting out of this loop would be a matter of time.

But first, Subaru needed more information. He still didn't know anything beyond what people had been saying about this place. _Anyone would do. _

Grabbing a random man walking by, Subaru initiated a conversion, "Excuse me. But can I ask you a question."

"Are you new?" the man looked on in confusion, apparently nervous. "I-If so, since I don't have work today, I can guide you around for a bit."

"Uh, it's nothing like that," Subaru shook his head. "I was wondering about the Myouren Temple and if you can tell me anything about that place."

"Huh? Why didn't you say so at the beginning!" his evident nervousness disappeared in an instance. Subaru began to wonder what was the deal with this man. "Well, if you're talking about the temple, I could tell you many things, including its origin, traditions, and ideologies. What do you want to know?"

"Just tell me the location," Subaru facepalmed himself, not that amused at the man's enthusiasm on the subject matter. "I've been hearing people talking about this head monk Byakuren since I first started living here. So I figured I should go there and pay her some respect."

"Y-You want to know more about Byakuen-sama!?" his eyes shone with bottomless rage. "How dare you!?"

"Whoa! Calm down, man."

"How could I be calm when you're trying to steal her from me!" screamed the man erratically. "You know what's important to me the most?! That girl's smile! The natural beauty that has an effect on all those praying with her! And I'm not willing to give her up for your own personal use! She's too pure for that!"

"And I don't want to make her mine or anything of the sort!" Subaru was starting to get annoyed the man's attics. "I just want to speak with her for a minute or so. Is that too much to ask?"

At Subaru's serious expression, the man stepped back in fright. He obviously had never seen a person getting tired of him before. Subaru was like a destroyer of his fantasy who threatened to obliterate everything he held dear.

Finally given in, he gulped down saliva. "O-Of course." He nervously pointed past Subaru. "T-The Myouren Temple is located at the edge of the village since many villagers still didn't trust her enough. But, I'm different! I can see what others can't. Her benevolence, her love for living creatures regardless of their species place her leagues above everyone else!"

"You really, really like her, huh?"

"Of course!" he exaggeratedly spun, his eyes reflecting flowers. Subaru had his own fair share of idiotic moments he's proud of, but this man's weirdness had reached a whole new level. "Everyone loves her! Those who dislike her deserved to be burned alive!"

"Wait. I only heard good things about her. Some people hate her?"

"Well," muttered the man. "While they might not hate her on an individual level, her ideal does place her on quite a high seat in controversy conversations. People talk about it all the time. Some disagree; others agree. That's how the world works, I guess."

"Nevertheless," said Subaru, quietly stepping away from the man. He didn't want anything to do with this weirdo anymore. "Been nice knowing you. But, I gotta go. My goal was to talk with Byakuren, after all." Leaving the man alone by running towards the village edge, Subaru waved back. "Bye!"

The annoying man stood in silence for a moment thereafter, stunned. When he finally realized the implication of Subaru action—that is, moving away to meet Byakuren, his most priced treasure—he violently slammed his feet down, angry at the boy who had escaped his rage.

"Hey! Come back here, you!" But shouted as he might, the boy never returned to him.

In the first and second loops, Subaru had no time to indulge in the village's scenery since he was focusing on finding accommodation and food. But when he relaxed and laid eyes upon the passing shops, the fact that this place was the paradise for humanity had become even more believable.

Citizens had no distress nor hurry on their facial expressions, smiling as they exchanged money for the magical-looking products. If he didn't believe it before, he had no choice but to register the reality into his brain now. This was actually the reality he lived in, a magical place where the impossible became probable, a land where even the most absurd of creatures could live together in peace.

After the scenery changed from urban areas into rural plains, Subaru spotted a big structure, similar to a pirate ship he saw in movies. Except, it wasn't functioning as a ship traveling on bodies of water but the place of faith where people came wishing for a better future_. Speaking of which, a temple might be what I need to calm my mind, too_, thought Subaru.

At the entrance, there was a girl resembled a rat yawning and about to fall asleep on duty, making him giggled a bit. Subaru remembered her all too well, even though he didn't have the mental capacity that equaled his usual self. Supposedly, she was with Byakuren at the time of chaos and had been helping the monk in driving away the attacking farriers. Or at least, that what's Subaru assumed.

Adjusting the tracksuit, not wanting them to think ill of him, Subaru marched on towards the seemingly lacking rat girl. Once she noticed the upcoming man who did not seem keen on having a conversation, she readied her weapon at him, threatening to not guarantee his safety if he did anything unappropriated.

"State your name and business," the girl asked with a disdainful tone.

"Woah, man!" Subaru put both of his hands up as he didn't want to cause any trouble before meeting the monk. "I am anything but a simple man who came here to meet with the head monk! Nothing suspicious here, I swear!"

"Really?" the girl stared at him for a minute in disbelief. Subaru was getting annoying at her distrustfulness now. Finally, she heaped a sigh, returning the weapon to where it belonged. "What is your name, human?"

"Natsuki Subaru!" he extended pointed the right index finger upwards, bent his body a little to complete his victory pose. "Glad to be at your service, sir!"

"Yeah, whatever, whatever," the girl quickly dismissed his weird disposition and directed her attention toward the interior. "Byakuren-sama currently does not have visitors, so I can arrange a meeting for you. However, if you try anything funny in the temple, be sure to prepare yourself for the inevitable."

"Thanks for that very much, miss," Subaru sarcastically replied, then passing her into the inside.

The interior was, frankly, out of Subaru's expectation. One would think a Buddhist temple this massive would have numerous decorations placed all over the place; instead, the area was almost devoid of anything except a giant Buddha statue which had several candles in front. Excluding those and you had an empty hall with nothing too extravert on it.

As Subaru was walking towards the beautiful Buddha statue for closer inspection, a female voice sounded, "Could I help you with anything, young man?"

Haphazardly turning his face to its direction, Subaru noticed a woman wearing a straw hat striding in his way. She stopped beside him, looked up the statue of virtue, then offered her prayer. Having finished, she turned to him with an ever-lasting smile plastered on her expression.

"A-Are you perhaps Byakuren everyone was talking about?" he inquired, though in a staggering tone.

"I am indeed Hijiri Byakuren, the Buddhist monk who's been living here not too long ago. Great how everything changes so quickly, isn't it?"

"You decided to live here recently?" Subaru turned to her with questioning eyes, to which Byakuren laughed in self-deprecation.

"To be honest with you, I used to live here—in Gensokyo—but that's too long ago and doesn't reflect what I do in the present," she touched the statue with her soft, gentle hand. "Staying in the past serves no other purpose than creating regrets for you. As such, I choose to live in the now, trying to change things others couldn't do in the last few years in order to fulfill my utopian dream."

Her declaration struck a chord with Subaru. He was a person who's been continually living in regrets for his past mistakes and trying to change them with his power—Return By death —with any means possible. But thinking upon it, if he could rectify everything he did wrong, then what was the point of learning from your mistakes if he could go back and fix those immature errors?

No. Subaru remembered being cocky, once. He believed that he could change every single thing as long as he could utilize Return By Death to its fullest, but a couple of people amended his disgusting personality for the better.

A silver-haired white elf. A blue-haired Oni maid. Subaru would retain his selfish self if these two wanted no part in his life. He was glad for that, but at the same time mad at his brain for not remembering who his supposed saviors were.

But enough depressing thoughts. Subaru had this power for a reason, and he would use it for a purpose he saw fitting; that is, fixing events happened in the past so that a better future would be reached absolutely.

Subaru turned to the puzzled Byakuren who noticed his silence. "Nice to meet you, Byakuren-san. Just Subaru is fine."

"Nice to meet you too, Subaru-kun," she replied, bowing in a Buddhist fashion. "And welcome to our humble temple. How could we be of service?"

"Oh right, it's about the village."

Then, Subaru began his tale about the village's lax protection system, suggesting that the temple ought to fortify the defense with haste. Byakuren was only nodding at him with a straight face. And although Subaru didn't understand her at all, he kept his story intact. As he was getting to the possibility of youkai attacks, Byakuren put her hand up, stopping Subaru in the middle of his speech.

"I do understand where you're coming from—that the village's defense is quite lax and we need more protective forces stationed around the village, which is why you came to meet me—but we already have a duty of protecting this side of the village. We can't afford to exert our personnel to another district. I'm honestly sorry; this is how it is."

"How could you say something like that!" Subaru swatted the candle down, sending it to the floor and extinguishing it. He couldn't believe that the head monk would utter such an incomprehensible proclamation of irresponsibility. "The village's survival depends on your decision, and you choose to turn a blind eye to it?! People are relying on you Buddhist monks to save them in time of need, and this is how you repay their belief?!"

Yet, Byakuren maintained her aura of maturity, closing eyes in deep thought. "Tell me, then. What reasons are there that propel you to such length? Your eyes and body are shaking in genuine fright."

"W-What?" Subaru questioned before looking down at his own uncontrollable body, arms, and legs. "Ha, ha, ha," he slowly slid down to sit on the cold floor, trying hard to calm his exhaustive psyche.

"You want some water to satiate your tiredness?" she asked, producing a glass of water out of this air—probably using magic. As Subaru nodded and accepted her offer, she continued with obvious worry in her pupils, "Are you okay, young man?"

"I'm sorry about earlier. But you must believe me!" Subaru unorderly stood, not caring about dust and dirt on his tracksuit. "Some unknown enemies are coming, and we have to do everything to stop them! Otherwise, Gensokyo will be reduced to nothing!"

"If I have to be honest with you, Subaru," her eyes turned from caring to serious, "I don't really believe in substitution without a bit of supporting evidence. And your overall demeanor and words seem to be an indication of something grave. I've seen many lost lambs who seemed to believe in everything they saw convenient—as long as it's fit with their narrow worldview."

"The same could be said to you, too," she continued, her tone unchanged. "You really believe in upcoming forces that threaten the village when in reality, that might not be the truth.

"But I'm telling the truth!" Subaru glared at the monk whose image of the benevolent person faded to dust. "If you don't help me, then I-I-I-" Finding words to express his frustration and disappointment but realizing that he couldn't—not when the vision of hopeful future got turned to worthless dream—Subaru collapsed, screaming at the floor. "Ahhhhhhhhhh!"

Byakuren—still closing her eyes to the outside world—started to walk away from the boy until he was nowhere to be seen. She stopped her step at the hidden corner in the temple, where the lion youkai waited for her with expectation.

"What do you think, Shou?" Byakuren asked the youkai with an intricate look.

"That you are too cruel to him? Yes, I do," she replied, heaping a sigh at her master's relentless statements to the boy. "You're saying those horrible things, but —deep down—you've decided to give his story a chance, right?"

"Of course," Byakuren glanced at her underling. "As a monk, I must listen to any lost lambs who might be coming to seek a path to enlightenment from me."

"Why did you answer such a thing, then? Just tell him you're gonna help."

"What purpose is there in defense if I tell everyone involved in my plan? As a famous strategist once said, 'To fool your enemies, you must fool your allies.' And there's another reason why I chose to believe him."

"You're hiding something else from me, Byakuen-sama?"

"Not quite hiding, Shou," Byakuren flashed Shou an angelic smile. "For now, let's just say that I decided to believe him based on the consistency of his immature outrage and the conversation I have with a certain person I met on that fateful day long ago."

She recalled it very well—that destinated day, under a full broom tree, she was talking with a man whose face was hidden under a straw hat. Even now, thinking back upon it made she smile with glee. He was one of the most prominent elements that kept pushing her forwards in time of despair.

"A certain person?" Shou was confused at her master's specific choice of words until a realization was drawn upon her. "Surely, he couldn't be that man, could he?"

"Who knows?" Byakuren stared down at the floor, eyes glimmering with hidden sadness. "But if he is, then I have to do everything in my power to help him attain that dream, an idealistic world where all things supernatural and natural can live together in prosperity at all cost." She moved her glance to Shou, "Do you think that's unrealistic of me, wishing for a world like that?"

"Who knows?" Smirking, Shou made a comeback with a vague answer; Byakuren giggled in return. "But I have decided to follow you purely due to your ideology. Therefore, if what you stand for is stupid, then please also invite me to indulge in your stupidity," she gracefully bowed. Byakuren smiled before turning her attention to the collapsed boy.

"Back to the matter at hand though," Byakuren rose her left hand, calling upon the rest of her fellow residents. A rat girl, another monk, a sailor, and a youkai whose wings clad in red and blue. They all made a confused noise as to why they've been called.

"Everyone," Byakuren glared at them with authority of the highest order, as the youkais were quickly readjusting their postures. They had a job to do. "Please listen to my plan and act by it," she inhaled deeply. "Today—we will be waging war."

Having been invited by a rat youkai who seemed as uncaring as ever, Subaru was now pacing alone on the street—people all around him was like a blue image. Subaru had done nothing but perpetuated the problem. He should have prepared his mentality more and came in with evidence so that the monk could happily accept his cry for help.

Subaru wanted to hit himself in the face so hard that his face bled dark red liquid. After all he had been through, Natsuki Subaru was still the same: pathetic and worthless—even after he decided to change for the better.

Due to his own incompetence and immaturity, he got rejected yet again by his last bastion of hope. Now Subaru had no one else to cling to except his pitiful self and the school teacher—his latest savior.

_Even so, even if the world has rejected me, _Subaru proclaimed in his heart. _I will, no matter what it takes, save this village, save her from this undesirable fate!_

Echoing steps was stopped as Subaru saw the school sign. Although he had seen this two times before, it didn't comfort him one bit. Subaru still had nothing—a plan —that would propel him out of this bottomless pit.

If he didn't try his hardest, however, nothing would be accomplished, and he would be a liability to others. Stop _looking back and lamenting at your past failures; instead, I look forward to making a better present and tomorrow_. The angelic monk's words had come back to haunt him. How could he look forward to a better tomorrow when his ability involved fixing the past?

Subaru shook his head to keep his unpleasant notions from resurfacing. _That doesn't matter, _he took back his enthusiasm. _There's no way a woman who's been preaching all days like her could understand my circumstance. I just need to meet Keine-sensei again, tell her how I always want to work under her, get accepted, and then stop that fairy from inviting the citizens into a world of madness._

With the renewed confidence, Subaru opened the front door with a creaking sound. The interior was as precisely as he remembered. Reminiscing of his younger school days. He walked by the rattling classrooms which had already started their lesson. Students were studying in perfect harmony, while their teachers had a genuine smile—the love for teaching—apparent on their faces.

When Subaru reached the headmaster office, he had no hesitation and pushed open the door with a fake bright smile on his expression. He was ready for what to come—except no one was sitting there, on the same desk.

"What in the world?" Subaru was getting panicked, his breath staggered, his voice lowered in volume. Feeling something wrong, Subaru quickly began his search around the room as he shouted, "Keine-sensei!" But no answer came.

Then Subaru found a folded-up paper on the desk. He picked it up, unfolded it, then read the content with interested eyes. This was her handwriting, no doubt since he had seen her writing numerous times during the last loop, while he was marking the exams. While not too terrible, it left a lot to be desired.

Subaru started focusing on the actual content this time. It read as followed:

_Dear any whom, whether students or staffer who might have the misfortune of reading this letter. _

_I've been a teacher at this school for a very long time and seen a lot of things, including the less-than-desired behaviors of some students (yes, I'm talking about you, Momota!). But never in my lifetime have I face a difficult situation such as this. This mourning a Buddhist monk from the Myouren temple came here and told me of their plan to enforce the village's defense, to which I agreed wholeheartedly. I believe that it is preferable to have stronger defense systems in these days and ages where youkais are getting more aggressive than ever. The monk then nodded, a smile on her gentle façade, before leaving._

_That decision, however, is turning out to be the biggest mistake I couldn't have foreseen._

_My certain…accomplish seems to be hugely restless with my agreement. She rushed in almost immediately, her face shaking, demanding I tell Byakuren I don't need her help to defend the school; otherwise, she would initiate her plan right now and then. At the time I doubted her story, wondering if she could have enough power to destroy everything I hold dear in an instance. Yet, the girl proved me wrong._

_A smirk apparent on her youthful face, that girl snapped a finger, calling in a horde of lifeless teachers and students, their skin and eyes akin to zombies. Obviously, I was surprised by the extent of her ability, the curse of insanity that drives all living beings into mindless beasts with no distinctions in-between. She called herself Clownpiece and would not tolerate any attempts at defying her, or she might order my beloved students to commit mass suicide in the village square. Though, I could tell that her voice, her tone, her face was shaking in fear—though I didn't know what she had to be afraid of._

_Clownpiece thereafter told me to come with her into the forest because we have something to discuss alone and without any nuisances. So, as though obvious, I said to her, 'Yeah, I guess.' Before I went with her, though, I utilized my ability to manipulate history to some extent, creating an event wherein I was writing this letter down a minute before meeting with Byakuren._

_I guess what I wanted to communicate through this letter is this: I'm perfectly aware of how her power works now and in the process of deciding what I ought to do. Then my line of thinking reached a dead end—no, an answer that would solve everything by itself. One thing is for certain though; do not follow me! And that's my final order to whoever you are!_

_Even if I were to die today or tomorrow, I want you guys to know that…I love you equally. For that reason, either her or I will be dying today. And if I were the one to die, I'll be sure to bring her down with me._

_With Love,_

_Kamishirasawa, Keine. _

Subaru slammed the long paper down in solemn, constant droplets of tear flowing out of his eyes onto the letter. "That idiot…That damn righteous idiot!" He was angry with himself, so angry that he didn't come fast enough to prevent her from doing this alone. And Byakuren? Did she hear his request, after all?

"But if she's here, if Byakuren's here, why didn't you write this letter specifically for her?!" Subaru shouted in anger and desperation. If she had just told Byakuren, everything would turn out fine. Everything would return to normal.

"Damn it, Keine! What were you thinking!" he erratically rushed out of the room, ignoring all classroom that studied in ignorance, not knowing the truth behind the curtain, the fact of their teacher's inevitable demise—as though in the state of hypnotizing. Did Clownpiece do this too? Making them see illusions of everyday life like this while an honest person was walking to her death.

Subaru stepped forwards—once, twice, trice—until he reached the front doors, but just as he was about to open it, a hand touched his shoulder.

"Why must you be in such hurry, I wonder?" said a familiar female voice. Subaru turned back to look at the speaker, and sure enough, it was the same monk who rejected him earlier this morning. Byakuren.

He responded by shaking her helpful hand off. Byakuren was confused at this and rubbed the hand in wonder. "I don't need your help. I will prove to you—right here, right now—that I, Natsuki Subaru, have his worth in this world. I will prove to you that I can achieve anything if I try."

"Sure," Byakuren replied, peeking through the door. "But she's been out for about an hour or so. Chasing after her now would do you no good."

Subaru's right foot stopped as it reached the outside soil that dirtied his shoe; her declaration made sense. And letting Keine accomplish her goal of killing Clownpiece by any means could very well be the only way out of this loop. But was there nothing else he could do? Any choice that could prevent this dismay conclusion from occurring?

"What do you want me to do, then?" Subaru directed his question at the seemingly uncaring monk, eyes blood-shot. "Staying here and hoping for her safety? Is that what you're saying?"

"You did well, young man. You did well…" Byakuren muttered and walked out the front doors, passing by the perplexed Subaru. "You're probably also confused as to why I decided to come here right away after rejecting you, correct?"

"Huh? You didn't come here to meet Keine because you knew in advance about the attack?"

"Of course not. I'm not omniscient," Byakuren smiled, her expression complicated. "But my spies notice some issues around the city after I ordered them to look for specific things. Youkai aggressiveness. Apparently, it's been happening since the last month. On the day where a group of apparent youkais got accepted into the school through unknown means."

Byakuren directed her angelic smile at Subaru, "You know what I'm talking about, right?"

"The day where Clownpiece came to attend the school…" The jigsaw pieces started to connect together in a beautiful, tightly-knitted manner within his chaotic brain. Seriously, how much information could this woman obtain by just their conversation alone? Her deductive skill was insane.

"Did you plan everything from the very beginning?" questioned Subaru, slowly stepping back from the authoritative figure in fright. Byakuren, on the other hand, didn't seem to care; her eyes were directed at the faraway forest. "Including Keine. Is she also a part of your plan?"

"I wouldn't say she was a part of my plan. In fact, the person who went with her wasn't Keine at all."

"W-What?" Subaru confusingly rubbed his head times and times again after being exposed to such a convoluted plan. "What was she, then?"

"A Nue."

"A Nue?"

"A type of youkai whose sole purpose is to make objects unidentifiable. In short, a Nue can make it seems as though something or someone is another thing entirely. The letter in the office, for instance, is just a worthless scribble in actuality. You could see its true form if you focus hard enough, though I understand you're probably restless at the moment."

"So that means," Subaru deeply inhaled and then exhaled, "the Keine that went with the fairy was not the real Keine-sensei? But in that case, where's the real Keine?"

"Ah," uttered Byakuren. "She was insisting on going with the rest of my disciples to the designated area. The fight between them should start right about…now."

"If that's the case, then shouldn't you be out there helping them?"

"We have no ideas if those fairies have any backups or not, so I want to stay here to make sure nothing is amiss. Fine by you, right? Just think of me as your personal bodyguard or something."

Despite her best attempt at calming him down, Subaru's nerve was racing crazily inside his brain. He still wasn't sure about this at all. Everything was going too well for his liking. "I don't know though. Would this go as nice as you've planned?"

"We shall see," said Byakuren. "But I think this plan of mine will g-" Interrupting her speech was a bustling forest fire at the green mountain—the designated meeting place. Byakuren looked up at the explosion, terrified at the implication, eyes wide. Subaru's line of vision followed, but all he could register into his fragile brain was a bright blinding light terrorizing all those who dared to enter its vicinity.

"Impossible!" Byakuren screamed, losing her cool in the face of terrifying prospects. Subaru couldn't do anything except standing still, leg shaking.

His battle…No. Their battle for survival had only just begun.


End file.
